Lost in Love
by Nisa Tunesque
Summary: Musa & Tegryn, Part 1: Poor Musa... her relationship with Riven is over, she's missing her family, and she's generally feeling miserable. Luckily for her, a new love is about to walk into her life...
1. The Wanderer

Tegryn was always a bit of a wanderer at heart. In fact he enjoyed nothing more than to embark on some epic voyage on foot, just to see the world. Thats what he'd tell you anyway - the truth was, he had a lousy sense of direction.So lousy in fact that on one occasion, what started out as a brisk walk through the rolling hills near his home town ended up as a trek across the Sahara. 

Yes, his sense of direction really was that bad - which probably went some way to explain how he ended up in Majix completely by mistake. He admired the thick, lush forest he now found himself in. "Well, this doesn't look like Spain, but its a million times nicer than where I ended up last time - for a start, it's not a warzone," he thought to himself, casting his mind back to a few months ago where he was almost blown up after wandering a few hundred miles off course.

He soon found himself at a beautiful lake - peaceful, serene, shimmering in the midday sun, it seemed to have an almost magical quality about it. No doubt about it, this was the perfect spot to take a well-earned rest. Tegryn hauled the large rucksack off his back and carefully placed it on the ground - well, you'd be careful with your pack if it contained all your belongings. It held all his clothes, his cooking utensils, momentoes of his journeys, and amoungst other things his precious MP3 player containing his favourite music collection, one of the only things that kept him sane on his lonely travels.

He lay back on the soft grass and took a deep breath - the air was so pure and sweet here. He gazed up at the sky, wondering what he should have for his lunch, when a bad feeling came over him. He couldn't explain it, but it wasn't good. Sure enough, three sinister shadows fell over him. Behind him, he heard a voice loaded with spite say "Well well well, look what we have here!"

Startled, Tegryn jumped to his feet and turned to face the ones who had addressed him. He was faced with a trio of teenage girls who he rightly guessed weren't very pleasant. Apart from their rather outlandish clothes, he couldn't help noticing their eyes - he smiled. 'I've seen some bad make-up in my time, but that is ridiculous!' he thought to himself, stifling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" snapped the one with dark curly hair. The malicious look that was previously on faces of these girls was replaced by a look of anger. Tegryn quickly realised his mistake - obviously, humour was not one of their strong points.

He held his hands up in a vain effort to calm them down. "Nothing, honest"

"It didn't look like nothing to me."

"Look, I didn't mean to offend you. Let's just cool down shall we?"

A wicked smile appeared on the girl with long white hair standing in the middle of the three. "Cool down? Hah! It won't be US that cools down!"

With no warning she held her hand up, and a blue flash shot from it. Tegryn instinctively dived out of the way. The martial arts training he had received in the mountains of central China was finally paying off - of course, he was meant to be in Switzerland at the time, but this was hardly the time or place to debate whether he should've turned right instead of left at Istanbul.

This situation wasn't good. Did that girl just shoot something out of her hand? What on earth was going on? He looked to where the bolt of magic had hit the ground - it was frozen.

Definately NOT GOOD.

In a panic, he reached for his pack and started to run towards the forest, dodging the shots flying around him. Unfortunately, he was paying so much attention to his attackers that he wasn't watching where he was going, and tripped. Icy took aim and prepared to land the final blow...


	2. Three Devils & An Angel

Tegryn slowly got up, half-unaware of what happening behind him. The icy bolt careered towards him, and struck the highly-polished frying pan hanging from his rucksack. The shot bounced off and struck Icy below the knee, encasing her legs in ice. As Stormy tried to help her sister, Darcy confronted Tegryn with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. "Stormy! Get over here!"

"You're gonna pay for that", Darcy snarled as she and her sister prepared to unleash their Psycho Twister attack. Tegryn backed away, but before he could make his escape, the force of the blast slammed into him, sending him crashing straight through the tree behind him.

He lay on the ground writhing in pain as the once mighty tree creaked and toppled over with a loud crash. The left side of his body was well and truly broken. He heard a footstep beside him. Looking up, he could see Darcy standing over him, reaching towards him with her hand. Was it glowing? He couldn't really tell as he lasped in and out of consciousness. He felt her hand on his forehead, and an excrutiating pain shot through the front of his skull. He bellowed in agony... then all was dark.

He could hear voices. "Is he... you know?" "No, I kept him alive. I'm going to have some fun first... IF he survives."

All was silent for a while... then he was aware of a prescence near him. Weakly, he opened his eyes, expecting the end. Another girl briefly came into focus - she wasn't a threat like the others. His vision was blurred, but he could just make some details out. Black hair tied in pigtails... red dress... and... wings?

That was all he saw before blacking out.

A few moments before, Musa had been sitting in a treetop playing a plaintive tune on her favourite flute. She loved being with her friends, but her on-off relationship with Riven had been off for some time and she missed her parents very much, so once in a while she liked to be alone with her thoughts.. This was her favourite spot, high in the trees overlooking the lake and the surrounding forest. Here, she could play her music and sooth her soul in peace.

Her flowing melody was disturbed by a loud crash in the distance. What was that? She strained her ears, trying to hear more. A loud anguished cry echoed through the forest, sending startled flocks of birds flying away.

She flew up and looked around - she could see that a tree had fallen near the lake. That must be it. She flew closer to investigate, spotting a tell-tale patch of frozen ground. She could hear something else though, something very quiet. Groaning. She could hear someone groaning in pain.

Sure enough, there was a man lying behind the foot of the broken tree, barely clinging on. She rushed over to investigate. The man opened his light blue eyes all too briefly, gazed into her eyes, then shut them again.

The pained expression on his face told her all she needed to know. She had to help him.


	3. A Sweet Awakening

Darkness. Stillness. Silence. For two weeks now, Tegryn had felt nothing but those three things. He hadn't felt so peaceful in a very long time. 'Am I... dead?' he wondered.

BA...DUMM.

A strange but familiar sound from his own chest gradually raised him from his long slumber. What was that? He tried hard to remember.

BA...DUMM.

That's it. It was his heart beating. So he wasn't dead after all, just aching... a lot. 'Ooh, what happened? Where am I? I... I remember a forest...' he thought to himself.

As he slowly returned, he could feel he was laying on something. Something soft and flat. Was he still by the lake? No, this wasn't grass. It was some sort of fabric... cotton perhaps? He was... he was on a bed.

Then amongst his pain, he became aware of something else. Something pleasant. Something was touching his right hand. Something warm... smooth... soft. Someone else was there. He could feel a faint warm breath passing over his knuckles.

He struggled to open his eyes. The darkness was overtaken by a blinding white blur. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, trying to get himself used to this new light. He was in some sort of room. Sunlight poured in through a window. He looked down towards his right hand... sure enough, a girl was asleep at the side of his bed, facing away from him, her head resting on his forearm as she held his hand. He could see that whoever it was had pigtails... could this be the girl he saw earlier?

Instinctively, he gently squeezed her hand which was still holding his. She gently moaned, then realising what she had just felt, lifted her head up and turned around sleepily. There was Tegryn, smiling wearily at her. Her face lit up like a beacon.

"You're awake!" she beamed.

At last, his eyes allowed her face to come into focus. He could see her so clearly now... her large dark cheeky-looking eyes, her pretty smile... she was beautiful.

He gasped at this memorising vision before him... then winced in pain. He had realised the hard way that when half your ribs are broken, gasping like that was not a good idea. He also became aware of his left arm, tied up in a sling - his shoulder was broken from where he hit that tree.

His body was a mess, but right at this moment he didn't really care.


	4. Musa's Vigil

"How long?"

"Two weeks."

"I was out for TWO WEEKS?" Tegryn looked at Musa in disbelief, still holding her hand. "Well, that explains why my back is aching so much."

A different voice made itself heard. "Well, actually that's more to do with the bruising on your back," said Ofelia as she walked into the room, "Tell me, how do your legs feel?"

He hadn't really noticed them because of the pain in his body, but now that Ofelia mentioned it, they did feel rather numb. He tried to move them - after a great deal of effort, he was finally able to wiggle his toes.

"What's happened? What can't I move my legs?"

"I think the bruising may have affected the nerves in your legs - don't worry though, I'm sure it'll heal in good time. You know, you really are lucky to be alive. It's a good job Musa here found you when she did. Maybe now that you're back with us, she'll go back to her place!"

Musa blushed.

"How do you mean?" asked Tegryn.

"She's been keeping a vigil by your bedside all this time. She's hardly ever left you. I guess she felt responsible for you."

"Is this true?"

Musa blushed again. "Yes" she said quietly, looking down with a bashful grin on her face. "I just felt as though I couldn't leave you, not after finding you like that".

Tegryn beamed. "That's so sweet. Thank you."

Musa looked up coyly, staring into his blue eyes. It was such a romantic moment... they would've stayed like that all day, but an excited chatter from the doorway disturbed them. Musa looked and, recognising her dearest pals, ushered them in and introduced them to her newest friend.

After he said his hello's to the gang, Tegryn asked Musa "I know this is totally daft, but there's something I need to ask. It's probably my mind playing tricks on me but... back in the forest when I saw you the first time... I could've sworn you had wings."

Musa giggled. "Heh. Yep, it's true."

Tegryn's eyebrows leaped in astonishment, so much so that they seemed to be clinging onto his forehead for dear life. "Excuse me? You have WINGS?"

"Yes."

"We all do," Stella chipped in. "We're fairies."

"Fairies? Oh. Right... fairies." If he heard this anywhere else, he would've said she was lying but after what happened before, he would believe anything right now. "So, what about those girls that attacked me? They're not..."

"If it was who I think it was, then no, they definitely are NOT fairies. They're witches - nasty ones too."

The next week or so was one of great happiness for Tegryn. Musa was his constant companion, leaving him only to sleep at night or when she had to go to her classes. Tegryn told her all about the wonderful things he had seen on his travels. They listened to each other's favourite music... Musa's opinion of Tegryn's MP3 collection was 'not enough rap but still pretty damn cool'. They chatted, they laughed, they found out everything they could about each other... that is, everything except their true feelings. Being a wanderer, Tegryn had never had any need to talk about such things - he was too busy trying to survive to worry about matters of the heart. And Musa, emotionally fragile as she was, was reluctant to take that step.

The two grew ever closer, but were too afraid to break that final barrier. And so it continued... until one fateful night as they both slept, Tegryn in the bed where he had stayed for the last month, and Musa in her room.

In the darkness some distance away, a dark trio hatched a plan.

"I told you we'd have some fun with him. It's time... let's do it."


	5. Dream Invasion

Tegryn looked around him. He was no longer in his bed, but some strange place instead. It was dark. The sky was completely overcast with thick black-red clouds, and a bitter chill was in the air. He couldn't see the ground, but he could tell it was bare, hard and cold. He heard a distant rumble of thunder, and then... a trio of all-too familiar cackles rang out.

Aware of this threat, he looked around unable to make anything out. Then, three pairs of eyes appeared in those dark clouds, staring down at him in wicked mischief.

"So, you managed to survive our attack after all," said one voice who he immediately recognised as Stormy. "Well, lets see you get out of this!" A bolt of lightning slammed into the ground - the shockwave sent Tegryn flying. As he got to his feet, a dark bolt hit him squarely between the eyes. His head swam. Everything around him warped. He could make out three figures in front of him and he vainly tried to stand upright, but it was no use - he had no balance. He crashed down onto his knees and held his head in his hands as Darcy's confusion spell took full effect. Bolts of extreme cold and lightning slammed into his vulnerable body, and he writhed on the floor.

_'What are they doing? How are they doing this? Surely this isn't real.'_ he thought.

"Its as real as we want it to be, fool!" Darcy explained. "Don't you get it? You may think you're safe with your horrid little friends, but there's no escape from us here. We control your dreams now!"

_'Control my dreams? How?'_ Then he realised. His thoughts went back to their first encounter in the forest, when Darcy sent that shock through his head as he lay on the ground. It was something to with that, it just had to be.

"Very good! You're not as stupid as we thought!"

Another jolt of pain went shooting through him. He couldn't take much more of this, he was totally helpless with no way of defending himself. He crashed to the ground and reached out with his last ounce of strength.

"Musa..." he gasped.

Then something happened.

It was something he couldn't explain... a sudden feeling of well-being. New strength flooded through Tegryn's spirit, and finally he stood up and faced his invaders with a steely determination. Stormy sent another lightning bolt towards him, but he didn't bother dodging it. He just held out his hand, and the bolt bounced off in a shower of sparks.

Another lightning bolt.

Same result.

The witches looked at each other, and desperately attacked him together. Nothing. Their magic just fizzled out - they may as well have been flipping bits of popcorn at him. Tegryn chuckled, and looked at these three in contempt.

"Don't you get it? You're in MY head now, and when you're in my head, you play by MY rules!"

A trickle of panic crept into the Trix. How was this possible? Their plan was so flawless... how could it go so wrong?

Tegryn looked around him and tutted. "I really don't think much of this landscape you created for me. I think I'll change it to something a bit more pleasant."

He held out his arms, and the dark clouds slowly gave way to clear blue skies, revealing gentle rolling hills. Carpets of lush green grass sprouted from the barren ground, dotted with pretty little flowers and lush green bushes. This was more like it, it felt almost like home. Seeing what was happening to their carefully laid plans, the witches tried to back away and retreat to their dark lair.

"Oh no you don't. I decide when playtime's over, not you!" The ground rumbled, and it started creeping up their legs and around their bodies until only their heads were visible above the newly-formed mounds, which had now turned into solid rock, trapping them. They struggled to get free, but it was no use.

Icy growled. "Just you wait... when we get out of here, you'll wish you never crossed us!"

"Really? You're certainly welcome to try, girls!"

With a wave of his hand, Icy and Stormy vanished from his mindscape. It was just him and Darcy now.

"Now then... I think its time you and I had a little chat".


	6. My Soulmate

Musa looked round her. She was somewhere strange, yet deep down she knew where she was. She could hear voices, but she couldn't make out who they were or what they were saying. Her surroundings were dark, with thick dark-red clouds swirling overhead - but not for long. The clouds broke to reveal glorious sun-filled skies and rolling green hills, and all became clear. She could see two figures - a man and what appeared to be a girl encased in rock.

She walked forward slowly and quietly, not wanting to announce her presence, until she could see... it was Tegryn and Darcy! She hid behind a nearby bush and listened.

"What have you done with the others?" Darcy scowled.

"I sent them back to where they came from. I have no business with them. I know you were behind this... but why did you do it? You told them you were going to have fun with me... is this your idea of fun?"

"How did you know that?"

"I'm not sure, but it's probably something to do with that magic you planted in my head. I guess it had more of an effect than you bargained for. You were able to read my mind just now - it looks like I can do the same thing to you."

Darcy sneered "You're right - and it seems I can see what you're thinking now. I know how you feel about that wretched pixie Musa. What's the matter? Too scared to tell her how you really feel? How pathetic!"

"My feelings for her are none of your business!"

"Oh, they are now! But tell me, why should you be interested in HER? Join me and I can give you all the power in the world - after all, what can she offer you?"

"You WHAT? You obviously don't know me as well as you think! I don't want power, or riches, or any of that stuff - the only thing I want is someone who loves me, someone who can ends my days of wandering and loneliness... someone who I can call my soulmate. And that someone is Musa. She's pretty, she's sweet, she's caring, compassionate, funny... everything you're not. I love Musa. You get it? I LOVE MUSA!"

These words echoed all around the dreamscape. Musa looked on, tears of happiness welling in her eyes. "I love you too" she whispered.

Tegryn continued, his mood darkening "But look at me. My body is a real mess right now, and it's all your fault. I'm gonna be stuck in bed for who knows how long - does Musa deserve to be nursing me? Of course she doesn't - she deserves so much more than me. She deserves to be with someone who can love her back properly, who can treat her like the princess she is. There's no way she could ever love me. There's no point in me loving her... I may as well give up now!"

Musa gasped as she heard these words. "NO!" she shouted as she ran towards him, tears streaming down her face. "No! That's not true!" Shocked, Tegryn turned to see her approaching. She ran into his arms and hugged him tightly, sobbing into his chest. "Don't ever think like that again, please. I love you for who you are. I love you..."

Tegryn was totally taken aback. He wasn't expecting this, and he'd never experienced anything like this before, neither in his dreams or in the real world. He searched for the only words to reply with... "I love you too".

"Oh please, I think I'm going to be sick!"

Tegryn turned and looked at Darcy with disgust. "Oh shut up and get out!" Sure enough, she was gone, leaving just him and Musa alone. They hugged each other for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually Tegryn said, "I'm so glad you're here, but there's one thing I don't understand. This dream was created by those witches - how come YOU'RE here?"

"I'm not quite sure. I was sleeping when I heard your voice calling for me, reaching out to me. Then I found myself here."

They held each other tight, savouring every moment together. Soon, Tegryn looked at Musa and said "I think it's time for us to wake up now." She smiled and faded from view. Everything slowly faded away and Tegryn began to wake up...

That was odd. He could feel something sitting on his head. He opened his eyes and looked upwards. What appeared to be a baby wearing a pink bonnet peered down at him with big eyes.

"Um... hello."

The baby giggled... then looked up at the door.

Musa was stood there in her pyjamas and dressing gown. They stared deep into each other eyes with huge smiles on their faces, then Musa ran over to his bed and gently embraced him. They stared deep into each others eyes, totally captivated by each other, yet wondering all the while what the hell they should do next. The anticipation was driving the two of them crazy, so much that Tegryn could no longer take it. Gently, he drew his lips to hers, drawing closer, ever closer so he could feel her sweet, warm breath upon them, until eventually, they finally touched in that magical moment of their long-awaited first kiss. Tegryn could feel that Musa was trembling - she had rehearsed this kiss so often in her head, but she wasn't prepared for just how good this felt. Snuggling up to him, she said the two words she knew he wanted to hear the most... "My soulmate..." 


	7. Could It Be Magic?

"So this is what love is like," mused Tegryn. He was a picture of happiness - indeed, he was happier than he'd ever thought possible, and he'd been like that for days. He and Musa were almost inseparable - she would bring him all sorts of food for his meals (Musa's omelettes were simply amazing - well, he thought so anyway), he would help as much as he could with her homework (of course, he knew nothing about magic so most of the time he was as much use as a chocolate teapot), or perhaps they would just chill out and listen to their favourite tunes together. And of course, being a couple, they went on plenty of dates as well as fun nights out with the rest of the gang.

He was well on the road to a full recovery by now, probably because he was only too happy to let Bloom practice her healing powers on him. His broken shoulder was healed, his ribs were more or less better, and he had regained almost all feeling in his legs - he was finally able to walk without any help, although he still tired quicker than usual.

But there was something on his mind. He couldn't get the events of THAT dream out of his head. No, it wasn't the fact that he finally had the guts to admit he loved Musa, but it was the way he fought back against the witches' spells and attacks that intrigued him. Was that JUST a dream... or had something been awakened in him? He certainly felt there was something in him, but he had to find out somehow.

That opportunity came as he and Musa were out walking in the forest with their friends. He spotted a rock on the ground and an idea quickly flashed into his head. He went over and picked it up. He handed it to Sky, walked a few paces away, turned around and said "Throw it at me."

A look of amazement came over everybody's faces.

"Trust me, I won't hold it against you if this doesn't work. Just throw it, as hard as you can."

Still puzzled, he did as he was asked and hurled it for all he was worth. His aim was true and the rock hurtled straight for Tegryn's nose. It bounced harmlessly away. Tegryn never flinched, and there wasn't a mark to be seen - no cuts, no bruises, not even a speck of dust.

He was right. Somehow, and don't ask him how, he had the ability to cast his own shield spell, just as he did during the witches last attack.

But was there more? He would soon find out.


	8. Kidnapped!

Musa was in a jolly mood, as any girl madly in love would be. Tegryn had gone out to buy her something special, so she took the opportunity to go to the forest after her lessons to pick some of her favourite flowers, just for him. Merrily she picked all sorts without a care in the world... but she was being watched...

Some time later, Tegryn returned to his room. Taking a carton of orange juice, he slumped into an armchair and started to drink whilst looking lovingly at the photo of his darling that he kept by his bedside. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. He opened it to be greeted with a friendly face - it was Livi. "Hi," she said cheerfully,

"I've.. um... ah yes, that's it, I have a message for you!"

"Thank you." He took the message and opened it... it was a map with a handwritten note attached to it.

_We have Musa._

_Come to the cave marked on the map._

_Come alone OR ELSE._

He stared at it in disbelief. It wasn't signed, but he didn't need a signature to figure out who was behind this.

"Hmmm. I guess this is the place." Tegryn had found the cave easily enough. As it turned out, he didn't need the map - he was somehow able to sense that Musa was there, and he knew she was in trouble.

Warily, he entered. Huge, vicious-looking stalactites hung from it's ceiling, and water dripped down the walls. He could see a glow coming up ahead. Sure enough, as he turned the corner, he found what he was looking for. It was the Trix, along with a troll that they had managed to enslave. He grasped Musa roughly in one gigantic hand, and carried a humungous club in the other. She cried out to him, sobbing.

"I'm so glad you came," said Icy, a wicked glint in her eyes. "We told you that you'd pay for crossing us."

Tegryn didn't reply - he just looked at Musa. He hated to see friends in trouble, so to see the love of his life in such danger hurt him deeply.

"Aww, is this upsetting you? Don't worry, it'll be over very soon!" Icy turned to the troll. "Finish him!"

An evil smile emerged on his face. He flung Musa over towards the witches, who held her back as the troll lumbered over towards Tegryn.

"No! Please!" cried Musa.

"Be quiet!" snapped Darcy, slapping her in the face.

Tegryn was shocked at what he saw, then turned his attention to the troll now towering over him.

Stormy mocked him, "Any last words for your dearest?"

Tegryn said nothing, but just looked at the troll as he raised his mighty club then, with all his strength, sent it crashing down onto his head...


	9. Rage Blast

The witches were dumbfounded. The troll stared in disbelief at his club, which had been split clean in half. He didn't understand. This guy didn't move, he didn't even flinch or dodge the blow. He took the full force of the blow, and he's still standing, laughing, as though nothing had happened.

What kind of superhuman was he?

Of course, Tegryn was no superhuman - he had just cast his shield spell at exactly the right time. But neither the troll nor the Trix knew that. Tegryn chuckled.

"Is that the best you've got? 'Cos if it is, this is going to be a very short fight!"

The troll panicked. He wasn't used to people standing up to him like this, let alone brush off his attacks and laugh at him. Unable to comprehend the situation, he turned tail and fled.

"Arggh! You idiot! Get back here!"

Tegryn checked over his shoulder to make sure that lumbering oaf really had left the scene, then he turned his attentions to the sisters-in-evil holding his beloved hostage.

"Was that your plan? Attack me with a giant coward?" asked Tegryn "What a great plan that was! Now let Musa go!"

Enraged, Darcy used her telekinesis to throw Musa into the cave wall at full force. Her head smacked against the bare rock and she slumped to the ground, dazed. Tegryn's smile turned to a look of horror as he saw this, then he felt something he hadn't felt in a very long time. A ball of pure rage began to form inside him. Sensing this, Darcy mocked Tegryn.

"Awww. Did I hurt your little girlfriend? That's not all I can do... watch this!"

Darcy cast her infamous confusion spell. Musa staggered, clutching her head and gasping. It's mind-shattering effects made the cave seem to spin and stretch and warp as though it was being manipulated by some unknown force.

That was it.

Seeing Musa suffering like this, Tegryn glared at the witches with a fire in his eyes and yelled... he could contain himself no longer.

"How... dare... you! You attack me for no reason, you crippled me, you invaded my dreams... that was bad enough," he raged, growing ever angrier. "But now this? THIS? You attack my love just to get at ME! This is totally out of order! How dare you! **HOW DARE YOU!**"

Attacking him was bad enough, but hurting Musa was inexcusable. For the first time in his life, Tegryn was really angry - the only difference now was he was able to express this in a way he had never been able to before. Without thinking he raised his arms together, and a pure white bolt of energy shot out of him and towards the Trix, who only just managed to dodge his attack. The bolt slammed into the cave wall, leaving a smoking ten-foot deep crater and showering everybody with rubble.

The witches picked themselves up and looked at him in amazement. How did he do THAT? He's no fairy, he's no witch, he's just an ordinary man - he shouldn't know any magic, especially magic that powerful. They prepared to strike back, but a low rumbling noise soon persuaded them not to. Cracks were appearing in the walls and the ceiling. Small fragments of rock started to shower down on them. The three wicked sisters wisely decided this wasn't the time or the place for a showdown, and started to run away.

The cave was on the verge of collapse, but Tegryn didn't care. He only had one thing on his mind... revenge. The Trix, and especially Darcy, were going to pay for what they did to his dear, sweet Musa. He spotted them in a corner making for the exit, and took aim at a large rocky outcrop above their heads... but just as he was about to make the final blow, he suddenly remembered why he came here. His anger gave way to concern, and he looked over to where Musa lay. A large stalactite was about to plummet down onto her helpless body. Without thinking, he leapt over her and pulled her away, just seconds before it crashed and shattered with a deafening crack.

Gasping for breath, he cradled her in his arms. She looked at him, dazed and weakened, blood trickling from a small cut on her forehead. It saddened him so much to see her like this, it made him weep.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Realising the danger they were in, he picked her up and quickly made his way out of the cave as it fell apart around them. Right now he was only concerned about getting Musa away from this place - there would be plenty of time for regrets later.


	10. Dearest Musa

Musa sat up in her bed with a colourful plaster stuck on her forehead, excitedly telling all her friends how her 'Teggy' had saved her from Trix's clutches, how he stood up to them, and how amazing his blossoming powers were. Everyone was congratulating him, hugging him, shaking his hand, telling him how lucky Musa was to be with him.

As far as everyone was concerned, Tegryn was the hero of the day... but he didn't see things that way.

In all the happy chatter that filled Musa's bedroom and all the cheerful tunes that blasted out of her stereo, he sat silently, staring glumly at Musa's dainty hand as he held it in his own. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the cave. Everybody here was so happy right now... but it could've been so different.

The bottom line was he lost it. He was usually so good at keeping his emotions in check, but for a brief moment he had lost control. He had let anger overcome common sense, and because of that he almost lost the one thing that meant the most to him. Musa was nearly taken from him today, and it would've been all his fault. ALL HIS FAULT. And if it happened once, it could happen again. Musa's life, and that of her friends, could be put in danger.

As far as he was concerned, there was only one course of action - he knew what he had to do.

Standing up, he kissed Musa tenderly on the forehead as he was so fond of doing and told her "I'm just going to my room. There's something I need to do..."

Musa smiled at him warmly. "Don't be long!"

Tegryn said nothing. He went to his room, checked his rucksack, took a pen and a piece of paper and began to write...

_'My dearest Musa. I hate myself for doing this but I have to leave...'_


	11. Farewell My Love

Musa wept uncontrollably as the letter fluttered onto the floor. Layla picked it up and began to read...

_My dearest Musa_

_I hate myself for doing this but I have to leave. When we shared our first kiss, I vowed to myself to love you and protect you as much as I could - but I have failed you. You were almost kïlled today because I was unable to control my powers and I'm afraid it could happen again, so it is best that I go where I cannot hurt you or anyone else._

_I hope you understand that what I am doing is for the best, not just for me but for everyone. Please do not try to stop me - maybe someday I shall return._

_You will always have a special place in my heart, and I will always cherish the time we have spent together._

_Loving you forever,  
Tegryn_

A shocked silence filled the room.

"Oh my. Why on earth would he think HE was to blame for all that?"

"Livi, when did he give you this message?" asked Tecna.

"Oh, it was... ooh... fifteen minutes ago? He looked like he was just leaving for somewhere."

"Good, then we still have time to find him. Musa, you stay here and rest, we'll go and..."

Too late. Musa was already running through of the door and into the pouring rain outside. The girls started to heading out on the main route away from Alfea when Musa stopped. "No... no, he didn't go this way. Lets go that way, I'm sure we'll find him there!"

"How do you know?"

"I dunno, I just... feel as though he's gone this way."

They followed her, and sure enough they soon came across a lone figure trudging into the night, his head hung low.

Musa ran on ahead. "Teggy, wait! Please wait!"


	12. A Heartfelt Plea

Tegryn stopped. He didn't turn around, but listened to the splashes of Musa's footsteps as she ran out in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. Quietly he said "Why did you follow me? Please, just go back - don't make this harder than it already is."

"But where are you going?"

"Far away from here, where I can learn to control my powers without harming anyone."

"But if you want to learn magic, then you should stay here - THIS is the best place for you! Besides, making mistakes when you're learning magic is no biggy... we've all had accidents - just ask Stella!"

"Oi!" snapped Stella with a smirk on her face. Everyone else giggled.

A small smile attempted to force its way onto Tegryn's face, then promptly disappeared again - it would take more than a light-hearted joke to change his mind.

"No, it's too dangerous. I almost lost you today, and I'm not going to let that happen again. What happened in that cave was all my fault... I mean, who almost sent that rock crashing down on top of you? Me! Who almost got us trapped and crushed in there? Me!"

"Who dragged me into that cave in the first place? NOT you! Don't you see, no-one's blaming you for this - I know I'm not. We all want to you stay here, and I NEED you here - please, don't go."

"I... I can't."

"Why not? Just look me in the eye and give me one good reason."

Tegryn said nothing, he just continued staring sullenly down at the ground.

Musa took his hands in hers and looked up at him. Tegryn softly caressed her palms, but kept staring at the ground - he couldn't look her in the eye, it was just too difficult. His heart wanted him to stay so badly, but his head had convinced him that this was the best course to take.

"Teggy... do you love me?"

"Well, of course I do... I love you more than anything in the world, and that's why I have to leave. Please try to understand..."

"So what about all the good times we've had together? Are you really going to throw them away over something that wasn't your fault? If you really do love me, how can you leave me?"

Tegryn stood silent, her words ringing around inside his head.

She was right - how could he leave her?

His mind flashed back over his time here in Alfea - how Musa had rescued him and saved his life, how she stayed with him while he was recovering, all the happy hours they had spent together, and of course their magical first kiss. Before he came here he was just a sad and lonely wanderer with nothing to look forward to in life... but ever since he arrived here, things had been so different, so right. At last, he finally had something worthwhile to live for.

This was the girl who had given him the one thing he thought he would never have - happiness, true happiness.

He sighed. How COULD he leave her like this?

He slowly turned his gaze upwards, over her mud-splattered slippers and her soaking wet dressing gown, until finally his eyes met hers. They looked lovingly at each other, and a small smile broke out over Musa's lips - at long last, she knew she had finally gotten through to him.

Tegryn tenderly wiped a tear from the corner of Musa's eye. "You're right... I can't leave you... not now, not ever!"

That was all Musa needed to hear. With a joyful squeal, she embraced him.

Their friends looked on as they kissed in the moonlight. "You know what? I think everything's going to be okay!" said Bloom happily. "ATCHOO! Oh come on guys, lets get out of this rain!"

As they all made their way back into the warm, Tegryn, his arm wrapped tightly around Musa, thought to himself - perhaps this was the way things were meant to be after all...

He had everything planned out - his plan was to go somewhere far far away from Alfea and head for somewhere isolated, somewhere miles away from civilisation where he could master his skills without fear of harming anyone. And meanwhile, maybe time will have mended poor Musa's broken heart, and she will have moved on and lived a happy life. It wasn't the greatest plan and it certainly wouldn't have been painless, but it was the best he could think of at the time.

But now he realised it would never have worked. Now he could never go far from Alfea and the girl he loved for one simple reason; no matter how lousy his sense of direction may be, a man in love has a happy habit of finding his way home...

THE END

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**If you enjoyed this story, or if you're just eager to find out how Musa and Tegryn's romance gets on, check out the sequel 'Back To The Old School' - enjoy!**


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